Readers ask about Alice Dunbar Nelson & Langston Hughes’ book

I always feel lucky to find works written by African American authors from the early part of the 20th century. I’ve come across several of them at auction, most of them children’s books that I’ve discovered or learned about.

For my readers’ questions today, I’ve selected two about works by African Americans. I get readers questions quite often, and on Fridays, I try to guide them to resources to help them determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values, not appraisal for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.

Today’s questions are about some manuscripts of Alice Dunbar Nelson and a signed copy of Hughes’ “First Book of Negroes.”

Alice Dunbar Nelson, along with her calling cards and the cover of a book compiling some of her diary entries. From University of Delaware Library and Modern American Poetry websites.

Question:

I have original manuscripts of Alice Nelson Dunbar from 1918 to 1930. Would like to sell them.

Answer:

Good for you to have such a treasure. Alice Moore Dunbar Nelson was the wife (and then ex-wife) of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, but was a writer in her own right. She wrote essays, short stories and poems, but was more a writer of prose.

Dunbar Nelson was born in a middle-class family of Creole parents in New Orleans about 10 years after the Civil War. In her diary from the 1920s, she mentioned how tough it was to look white and be black: taunted as a child as half-white, and as an adult, accepted by neither whites nor African Americans.

She published her first book of poetry in 1895 at the age of 20. After moving to New York, she co-founded her own school. She also began a correspondence with Dunbar, and the two married in 1898. She kept it a secret because teachers were not supposed to be married. They separated in 1902, but apparently never divorced, although she married twice after then.

Dunbar Nelson later moved to Wilmington, DE, where she continued to teach and write– for a Methodist publication, as co-editor of a black newspaper and as publisher of a literary anthology. She also became an activist for women’s rights, and worked for women’s suffrage and against lynching.

She wrote essaysprimarily for academic journals, but also became a well-published journalist for her writings in newspapers and magazines. Many of her stories, poems, plays and novels have never been published.

Dunbar Nelson also wrote a diary that detailed her life and that of her African American counterparts. Her diary from 1921 and 1926to 1931 was published in 1984. Dunbar-Nelson died in 1935 at the age of 60 in Philadelphia and was buried in Wilmington.

I have an authentic “First Book of Negroes” book inscribed by Langston Hughes on 3/18/61. It is in excellent condition. Is there any library or journalist out there interested in Langston Hughes?

Answer:

You shouldn’t have a problem handing off your book to a library or other collection, but you didn’t mention if you wanted to donate it or sell it.

Hughes wrote several books in the “First” series, which were published soon after World War II. He had been solicited by the owners of the publishing company, which one sourcesaid sought out writers like him who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

Hughes “First Book of Negroes” was published in 1952. Others by him include “The First Book of Rhythms (1954),” “The First Book of Jazz (1955),” “The First Book of the West Indies (1956)” and “The First Book of Africa (1960).”

If you’d like to donate the book, you could try the Schomberg Center, the Smithsonian African American museum or another major collection. Again, Swann or another major auction house are alternatives for selling it. You can also try selling it through a local reputable auction house in your area. You can find one via auctionzip.com.

As for price, I found a signed first-edition copy from 1952 selling for $688. Unsigned copies were going for $75 and $80.

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Book Me to Speak on “Historical Treasures in Your Home”

Our houses are filled with memorabilia and artifacts that are part of our family's history and legacy. But far too often we don't know what we have or assume it's worth very little or nothing.

What valuable items are in your home or a family member's home?

I can show you what to look for, how to research its market value online, how to get it appraised by a licensed appraiser, and whether to keep it, donate it or sell it.

Contact me for a presentation before your group or organization, and have everyone to bring along an item to be evaluated. This flyer shows some items that have sold at auction.

About Sherry Howard

I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.

I’m a journalist by profession: I was a newspaper reporter and editor. Now, I’m taking what I did as a journalist – peeling back the covers of people’s lives and writing about what I found – and applying it to auctions. And I’m loving it.

Visit me often to see what I come up with. I would also like to share stories and photos of what you find and your collections. Click my Contact page.

What is my stuff worth?

Here are some tips for things you can do on your own to help determine what your items are worth:

First, try the web. Search for items similar to yours.
Go to the library or browse at a bookstore. Look through price and collector's guides pertaining to your item.
Get a free or reduced-price appraisal. Find local auction houses in your town and check their websites to see if they offer these quick appraisals. You can find auction houses near you via auctionzip.com.Pay for a real appraisal. This could be your last step or your first step (if you have an item that you already know is valuable).

You can get more detailed information on each of these tips in my blog post on the subject.